Thread: Oy...

not a question this time,

I had a phone call from someone who asked about my classes. pretty standard, no big deal.

Caller: What level do you teach?

Tired bellydancer: I teach Levels I and II, what location are you interested in?

Caller: Boston, you teach in Boston right? Cambridge? (which is the next city over)

TB: No, Allston Brighton area on Monday nights from 6:30 to 8.

Caller: Do you teach advanced? I'm an advanced bellydancer.

TB (warming up): No, i don't have any scheduled advanced classes at the moment, but I do private lessons as well. How long have you been dancing?
You might want to drop in to my level I class and see if your movement vocabulary is similar and whether it might be useful to you or not, at least you would get to see me as a teacher and see if my style suits you.

Caller: I'm been taking bellydance classes 8 months, but I picked it up really quickly because I was already advanced in another style of dance. So I really don't want to spend any more time in a beginner class.

TB, ..c:: : What other type of dance have you taken and for how long? (thinking it's still possible, maybe she's a lifelong modern dancer with jazz and tap thrown in for spice, salsa, or maybe ballroom dancing. hey, it could happen!)

Caller: Oh, I took flamenco for 2 years.

..cr.: ..cr.: Yeesh! I don't know of a dance discipline that you could master in TWO YEARS let alone one that had a movement vocabulary that would translate to bellydance and create instant bellydancer!

So I sent her to the only dance class I felt an advanced dancer (or one who thinks she is) belongs. Najmat. Serves her right.

That's halarious! I've been bellydancing for three years and I'd never have the audacity to call myself advanced! Like I always say, you must start from the bottom in order to reach the top.

But I would make a bet that there are bellydancers out there who think they don't have to start in the flamenco beginners class because hey, they've already been dancing for a few years! ,r:;

MEISSOUN

Wow. Two WHOLE years.

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

i hope she goes to the advanced class and stands front and center on her first night.

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

i hope she goes to the advanced class and stands front and center on her first night.

..l;,

Nicely done, Kina!!! I hope she goes to the class and comes out with a healthy respect for the dance!

Haha! I hope she goes to Najmat's class tonight. She and I can be beginners together. :)

Originally Posted by Taj

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

Wow, that's a good one! And so true. I'll have to remember that one...

Originally Posted by Taj

Wow. Two WHOLE years.

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

a whole 8 months of bellydance classes and they're advanced? Well, they must be! They've been bellydancing more than six weeks? That's all it takes right?

Taj, I feel the same way as your quote above...



Its funny...I studied bellydance for about a year and a half and was moved up to an advanced class.

HOWEVER. I was taking 2-3 classes per week (beginner and intermediate) and I practiced anywhere between 2-3 hours per day (more on the weekends).

I STILL don't think I'm an advanced dancer. Its been over 5 years...just when I think "Yeah, I may be ready to start teaching beginners" I get my ass handed to me in a workshop, and I think 'Holy crap, I have SO MUCH MORE I need to learn!!!" (this JUST happened again this weekend.)

:)

Yay for the six week wonders.

Yikes! I hope this isn't the girl that called me over the weekend. Since I'm not teaching right now, I told her to call you, Kina! Our call went something like this:

Caller: Hi, sorry, I don't know how to pronounce your name. I'm interested in belly dance classes. You teach in Boston, right?

TB2: I'm not currently teaching group classes right now. I am available for privates however.

Caller: I'm having trouble finding classes in Boston.

TB2: There are several very good teachers in Boston. Have you been on the Middle Eastern Dance New England site? It lists several teachers throughout New England.

Caller: No, what was that site?

*Give her the name of the site.*

Caller: can you spell that?

*Repeat site address*

Caller: can you spell that again?

*Repeat site again. Also refer her to Kina.*

Caller: Can you spell her name?

TB2: *Getting frustrated. Repeat everything AGAIN.* I have to go. Good luck.

I've been doing this for 7 years, weekly classes, practice, workshops at least monthly, weekly troupe practices, teach, etc.

I think I might just be at an intermediate level.

When I can do what I want, every single time I want, then, maybe, I'll consider myself advanced...

and you know what? I still attend beginner classes and appreciate them for the opportunity to work on my technique, posture, etc.

Originally Posted by aazura

Yikes! I hope this isn't the girl that called me over the weekend. Since I'm not teaching right now, I told her to call you, Kina! Our call went something like this:

Caller: Hi, sorry, I don't know how to pronounce your name. I'm interested in belly dance classes. You teach in Boston, right?

TB2: I'm not currently teaching group classes right now. I am available for privates however.

Caller: I'm having trouble finding classes in Boston.

TB2: There are several very good teachers in Boston. Have you been on the Middle Eastern Dance New England site? It lists several teachers throughout New England.

Caller: No, what was that site?

*Give her the name of the site.*

Caller: can you spell that?

*Repeat site address*

Caller: can you spell that again?

*Repeat site again. Also refer her to Kina.*

Caller: Can you spell her name?

TB2: *Getting frustrated. Repeat everything AGAIN.* I have to go. Good luck.

Probably is, did she have an accent? She really kept me on the phone for a long time, wonder how many people she went through? ..l;,

I told Najmat. She was thrilled

I don't remember if she had an accent, which probably means she either didn't or it wasn't very strong. I just remember getting very annoyed and frustrated and trying to get her off the phone, but to no avail. I practically hung up on her at the end. I felt bad about that at first, but now... not so much...

Originally Posted by Taj

Wow. Two WHOLE years.

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

word.

Originally Posted by kina

not a question this time,

I had a phone call from someone who asked about my classes. pretty standard, no big deal.
... <snipped for space> ....
So I sent her to the only dance class I felt an advanced dancer (or one who thinks she is) belongs. Najmat. Serves her right.

..l;, muahahahahaha - can't wait to see her in class! Maybe she'll be there tonight. I'll let you know.

Originally Posted by lilya

Haha! I hope she goes to Najmat's class tonight. She and I can be beginners together. :)

hey, are you coming back? Yay!

Seriously, (not that you would, probably) please don't torture her if you run into her. I just wanted to share how flabbergasted I was that someone would actually believe that, not point her out to be made fun of.

By anyone other than me, i mean.

I know you ladies are very nice lovely people who would never do that

Just feeling a little guilty...

"the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,[/QUOTE]

Love it--I think this is my new motto!..l;,

Originally Posted by Taj

Wow. Two WHOLE years.

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

Yup, I've spent 7 years in the game, and I promise you I still don't know jack!

don't worry Kina - and she wasn't in class tonight (unless it's the Russian girl who came - who I know has had much more than 8 weeks of class as I've seen her at events for two years now.)

Originally Posted by Taj

Wow. Two WHOLE years.

Oddly enough, this would be about a year and a half more than my (curse curse curse) first "teacher" had before she opened a studio.,f::

Wow, Kina, that is irritating and shows such a lack of respect for bellydance. I had a similar experience when I went to an intermed/advanced bellydance class with a new teacher class where a couple of raw beginners and I mean baby beginners had decided to sign up for the 6-week series, despite the teachers very clear written course descriptions, that recommended that students have had at least one to two years of consistent belly dance lessons and that finger cymbal patterns and veil work and choreo would be taught. Just as the class started, one of the students asked me if I had taken belly dance before....

I said "yes" and asked her what her dance experience was.
Response: Oh I've never taken any dance lessons but I do yoga every day so picking up belly dance body moves will be no problem at all.
me: okaaaaaay.....
Well, she made it through floor stretches and basic warm ups okay, being yoga person and all, but when the teacher started in with hip and ribcage isolations and then simple combinations, ohmigod, she was having a bit o' trouble even getting basic hip drops.
So getting more and more frustrated even after a couple of tactful corrections from teacher adjusting posture etc. she stops in the middle of a combination, turns to me and says accusingly: "how long have YOU been belly dancing".
Me: About 20 years........
Her: Why are you in an intermediate belly dance class?
Me: So I can adjust to a different teacher's step vocabulary and visualizations.
Her: I guess I will transfer to her beginning class.
Me: Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It IS all about lack of respect for belly dance as a legitimae dance art form; it just kills me that people think it is "easy because it is not ballet or jazz". Guess again folks............

Originally Posted by Taj

Me, on the other hand, the more I learn, the more beginner/intermediate I become. ..l;,

too true. i'm in Tamra-henna's beginner class and getting so much out of it. it's a true "this is your hip" beginner class, so i'm able to really concentrate on getting her technique and working on my flaws, posture, arms etc.
i don't think of the class material as "beginner" but as foundational. like a building, a dancer is only as strong as her foundation, so revisiting it and working on what i didn't get right the first time is invaluable.

Originally Posted by carolynn

i'm in Tamra-henna's beginner class

I hate you.

oh Geeze, these people are still out there.....now, the thing that will keep happening with this particular person is that she truely believes she is more advanced than she is and most likely wont stay with the dance long enough to find out she isnt a superstar. Or.. she will have her ego overblown by well meaning friends, family, whomever who tell her she is the best, a natural and she will be teaching her own classes within a few weeks.
The only thing you can do as a teacher is stick to your position of having people start in your beginning classes or take a private lesson to place them in the level they belong in.
They may not come to your classes since you tell them things they dont want to hear butat least you have done all you can to not perpetuate more bad dancing being out there.
Good luck to you in this.

Originally Posted by Taj

I hate you.

ha ha ha-ha-ha!
..l;, ..l;, ..l;, ..l;, ..l;,